


And How Bitter the Pomegranate Tasted

by AndromedaKhelby



Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: Angst, Depression, F/M, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Inspired by Hadestown, amber gray - Freeform, amber gray is an unhappy wife- greek edition, eva noblezada - Freeform, i finished this at 130 am, marriage problems, patrick page, reeve carney - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22626850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndromedaKhelby/pseuds/AndromedaKhelby
Summary: Persephone is no stranger to the misery of Hadestown, but she's always been able to tune it out. Until now.
Relationships: Eurydice/Orpheus (Hadestown), Hades/Persephone (Hadestown)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	And How Bitter the Pomegranate Tasted

Sometimes, Persephone wondered if she herself was dead. 

For six months of the year, she existed above ground, and allowed herself to be happy. But for the other six months, she went back below ground to her husband. And so she spent that time numbing herself. Before that happened, before she learned what a blessing the fruit of the vine was, she would just cry and cry. Cry for the workers. Cry for her husband. Cry for herself. Cry for her mother. But now she was numbed, and that meant she didn't have to feel anything anymore.

Sometimes she didn't even recognize her husband anymore. He was always angry. Always upset. She couldn't even remember the last time he told her he loved her. But he still wore his wedding ring. So that was something. But it wasn't just how cold he was to her. It was his treatment of his workers that made her heart hurt the most. They weren't even people. They were ghosts, shells of creatures that had their insides scooped out like the gold in the mines that they worked day in and day out to extract. Sometimes, one of them would just fall to the ground, out of exhaustion. She was never sure whether it came from the work or their minds. Either way, no one reacted. They would lay there for a day or two, and then be back to 'normal' the next day. 

She knew she couldn't fix their problems. They signed her husband's contracts. Only Hades could set them free. But she could help them forget, at least for a night. When her husband wasn't looking, she'd offer the workers a drink from her winter stash. They didn't trust her at first. It wasn't like she could blame them. But gradually, they warmed up to her. They even gave her a nickname, "Our Lady of the Underground". It made her feel a little better about things. Less guilty. 

And she was guilty, after all. She could have stopped her husband long ago. She could have left him. But she never did. Even after everything she had been through, she still loved him. Somehow, she still loved him. And she hated herself for it. She was a coward. She was complicit in all of this. There was just as much blood on her hands as his. For a very long time, she'd stayed quiet.

Until Orpheus and Eurydice came around.

She had been at their wedding, brought enough drinks to flood the earth, and danced with them until the sun rose. Orpheus, a free spirit, and Eurydice, the practical one. They clung to each other during their first dance as if they were the only two people in the world. She never had any children, Hadestown was no place for a child, but she always wanted them. In a way, Orpheus and Eurydice made her feel.... maternal. Eurydice had the best qualities of her husband, the parts of him she loved. His strength, his mind, his spirit, Eurydice had them all. Orpheus reminded her of herself. He loved nothing more than to sit with friends, or dance to a tune on his lyre. 

And then, in the dead of winter, Eurydice and Orpheus entered through the doors to Hadestown. She prayed it was a dream, another nightmare, but no. They were both there. She was scared, seeing young Eurydice's eyes, once full of fire, dull to barely a glow. Orpheus came after her. To bring her home, he said. Her husband didn't like that. Her husband asked him who he was. She told her husband she knew the boy, but that didn't stop Hades from beating the daylights out of him.

She took Eurydice up to her room, as their respective husbands fought it out downstairs. The second the door was shut, the girl collapsed into Persephone's arms, sobbing her eyes out, and shaking like a leaf. 

Gods, how did it come to this? 

For what felt like hours, Persephone and Eurydice just laid there together and cried. If you didn't know any better, you'd say they were mother and child. Gods know Eurydice needed a mother right now. And as for Persephone.... all those years of pain, loneliness, and guilt finally boiled over, and for the first time in years, she cried. 

Then, all that pain, all that sadness, turned to anger. 

How could Hades be so cruel? How could he be so... so... callous? Did he even notice? Did he even care? Did he love her, or was there anything in him that could still love? Persephone hated him. She hated him more than she had ever hated anyone. She was tired of being numb.

She went down the stairs, to see Orpheus lying unconscious, but still alive. With what little strength she had, she helped him up into her room, and laid him down next to the now sleeping Eurydice. Persephone almost smiled, seeing them together again. How wonderful they both were.

Her husband was in his office. As usual. As she reached for the knob, her anger left her momentarily, replaced by a mix of fear, anxiety, and sadness. But she knew what she had to do. No matter how painful it was. Persephone opened the door, and it swung open with a creek.

"Hades." She said. "We need to talk."

"I'm busy."

"I don't care. I can't take this anymore."

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first post. I love Hadestown, and I love Amber gray. I hope you like it.


End file.
